Momiji
Bold text'''''Bold text' | image = | race = Human | nationality = Japanese|22px]] Japanese | birthday = | gender = Female | height = | weight = | affiliation = Hayabusa Ninja Clan | occupation = Shrine Maiden | rank = Greater Ninja | title = | previous occupation = | partner = | previous partner = Ryu Hayabusa | relatives = Kureha (Older sister) | debut = Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword | japanese voice = Yūko Minaguchi | english voice = Kate Higgins }} Momiji (紅葉) is Kureha's younger sister, Ryu's apprentice who first appears in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. She later appears in Ninja Gaiden Sigma II and Ninja Gaiden III. Appearance Momiji is a tall young Japanese girl with hazel eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail. She originally wore a white standard Hayabusa ninja garb, but later adopts an outfit with a white top with red ribboned edges and red kunoichi styled pants. In Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, Momiji used a red, black, and golden sword with an unknown name. She's acts as an NPC in the most current game as a guide for Ryu on Day 5 of Ninja Gaiden 3. Personality Momiji is a very gentle, and caring young woman who is seen by the village children as an older sister figure, whom they look up to. Like her mentor Ryu Hayabusa, Momiji has a strong will and refuses to accept any vulnerabilities and trains extensively to become one of the deadliest warriors in the Hayabusa Village. History Along with her older sister Kureha, Momiji was raised to be a Dragon Shrine Maiden. She was tasked with keeping the ancient relics passed down the Hayabusa Village from the ancient Dragon Lineage and carrying out the Shrine Maiden's rites and rituals to purify the world of malicious evil forces. Among the relics that the Dragon Shrine Maidens were tasked with is safeguarding the Eye of the Dragon, a jewel said to contain the souls of the ancient Dragons. Unlike Kureha, Momiji was spared the fate of her older sister during the Dark Dragon Blade Incident. At the time, Momiji was away from the village on an errand only to come back to a ruined village. She was devastated by the loss of the many lives especially her elder sister. Momiji began training under Ryu as a precaution and ended up becoming a skilled kunoichi along with her Shrine Maiden abilites for the sake of the Hayabusa Village. She supports and follows her master whenever he comes around. Plot Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword Ater training in the Forest of Shadows with Ryu, as she had done everyday since the attack on the Hayabusa Village'','' Momiji tells him to go ahead while she stays behing to pick flowers for Kureha's grave, as she had promised to Sakura earlier. Unfortunitly while picking flowers she attacked by the Black Spider Clan under the order of elder sorceress Obabatoretrieve the ancient relics of the Hayabusa clan. Though she manages to kill many Black Spider ninjas, she is overwhelmed by the fiendish Red Dragon and taken prisoner. At the Black Spider clan's base Momiji is interrogated by Obaba for the Shrine Maiden's Eye of the Dragon. It is soon revealed that Momiji had managed to fuse the Dragons Eye into soul, preventing Obaba from killing her. As events unfolded it is also revealed that Obaba was working for the fiends, their leader Ishtaros in particular. Ishtaros eventually takes possession the captive Momiji, after transforming Obaba into a fiend, in hopes that she may kill Ryu. Later, during the battle between Ryu and Ishtaros at the Gates of Hell, Momiji watches in horror as Ryu is overwhelmed by Ishtaros and the Dark Dragonstones's power. Suddenly, the ghost of Kureha appears and draws out Momiji's soul. Together they release the Eye of the Dragon and imbue the Dragon Sword with its power, allowing it to become the True Dragon Sword. With it, Ryu is able to defeat Ishtaros. As Ishtaros falls, Nicchae, the Greater Fiend of Destruction and Ishtaros's twin, appears and takes Momiji, Ishtaros' body and the eight Dark Dragonstones deeper into Hell in an attempt to reawaken the Vigoor Emperor. Nicchae's plan ends in failure, as the Dark Dragon consumes the Emperor and Ishtaros before bursting forth to threaten the world once again. Ryu defeats the Dark Dragon with the True Dragon Sword, and Momiji is finally rescued. After the incident, Momiji is reunited with the children of the Hayabusa Village and mourns Kureha alongside the children. She makes a vow at Kureha's grave to become stronger so she can defend herself and the Hayabusa Village. She leaves Ryu a letter as she departs the village to train in her travels. The Vampire War After travelling and training, Momiji returns to the Hayabusa village and resumes her duties as Shrine Maiden. She and the village are very worried when Jo Hayabusa returns to the village wounded, but relieved when Ryu assures them Jo will recover. She then informs Ryu of the Black Spider Clan's presence in the Sky City Tokyo. Ninja Gaiden Sigma II While Ryu is away at Tokyo, the Hayabusa village is invaded once again by the Black Spider clan. As Jo battles Genshin, Momji rallies the Hayabusa ninjas to protect the rest of the villagers. Ryu later returns to the village and repells the invasion, killing almost all the invading Black Spider ninjas. The next morning Momiji surveys a destroyed part of the village and soon realizes that Sanji had been taken captive, prompting her to go rescue him. As she travels to Tokyo, she encounters one of the Tengu Brothers and soundly defeats him, which leads her to Sanji, who is being held prisoner by both brothers. After her victorious battle, she reassures the saddened Sanji that, until he becomes a master ninja, she will always look out for him. As they returned home, she is unknowingly saved by Muramasa. Ninja Gaiden III After Sanji finds Ryu unconscious outside and brings him to Momiji, she watches over him and helps him recover. During his journey to find his father in the shrine, she assists him in dealing with the Grip of Murder curse while helping him defeat the Black Spider Ninja. Whenever the curse almosts takes complete control over Ryu, Momiji uses her power to protect his mind and help him regain his senses. As they get near to the shrine, they are attacked by Obaba, but they manage to defeat her. Near the end of the battle, Momiji was knocked unconscious by Obaba, but Ryu manages to save her and bring her to the shrine to be taken care of by his father. When Canna attacks Tokyo and Ryu begins to become overwhelmed by Fiends created by the LOA, Momiji and Jo arrive just in time to save him. She gives her master the Eye of the Dragon before he departs, leaving her and his father to fight of the surrounding foes. Powers and Abilities General *'Agility': Momiji is quick and agile, able to briefly move at hypersonic speeds, however she is not as fast as Ryu. *'Strength': Her strength level is that of a female human of her age and fitness level who engages in intense training in order to protect her clan. *'Acrobatics': Like most ninja, Momiji is able to easily move between platforms, jump off of and briefly run on walls. *'Hand to Hand': Momiji has proficient training in Hayabusa style ninjutsu. *'Ninja Sense': A Ninja ability that allows her to sense her path, and evil spirits in her proximity. *'Ki Manipulation': As a shrine maiden, Momiji is proficient at channeling her ki to purify haunted locations and evil forces. *'Spiritual Regeneration': Momiji's ability to heal fatal wounds with her spiritual lifeforce, until it is depleted. *'Heal Ally': Momiji's ability to heal an ally who is on the verge of death. Techniques *'Reverse Wind': A technique where Momiji quickly perform an evasive ninja dash. *'Shadowless Footsteps': Basic ninja wall running ability. *'Double Jump': After the first jump, Momiji is able to jump again without a need for physical structures to push off of. She is the only character in the series to have this ability. *'Counter Attack': A technique Ryu learnt during the Dark Dragon Blade Incident, he passes it on to Momiji, who uses it to launch an attack from a defensive position right before an enemy attacks. *'Furious Wind Technique': Similar to the Reverse Wind Technique, while blocking an attack that is landing, Momiji is able to quickly dodge the attack. *'Flying Bird Flip': A Hayabusa ninja technique used by Momiji to vertically elevate herself by leaping between two surfaces. *'Izuna Drop': A Hayabusa clan special technique. Momiji does this by launching her opponent in the air, grabbing them and doing a spinning pile driver into the ground. *'Izuna Falcon': Momiji's variation of Hayabusa clan's Izuna Drop, while in the air with her enemy, she stabs her enemy downwards with her Naginata and slams them full force into the ground. Unlike the other techniques she learned from Ryu, she learned this move on her own during her travels. Ninpo *'Art of the Crimson Lotus': A divine ninpo that transforms dancing leaves into flames that incinerate evil in a vortex of purifying fire. The sacred flames will only burn the wicked, leaving the innocent unscathed. *'Ultimate Ninpo': Merging Momiji's ninpo with an ally, their combined might creates a powerful ninpo attack. Weapons & Equipment *'Katana': A basic katana sword used by the ninjas of the Hayabusa clan. Momiji mastered the use of this weapon under Ryu Hayabusa's tutelage. *'Heavenly Dragon Naginata': A "Shizuka" type naginata weapon kept by the Dragon Shrine Maidens, it is said to be carved from the tailbone of a dragon. This is Momiji's main weapon. *'Heavensong Bow': A bow used by the Dragon Shrine Maidens in rituals, where Shrine Maidens would pluck the bowstring like an instrument to drive away evil spirits. Trivia *Momiji's Heavenly Dragon Naginata allows her to charge an ultimate technique while airborn. *Hanamaru, Denroku, Sanji and Sakura look up to her and love her like a sister. *Momiji has appeared in the fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy, debuting in the fifth episode. She was accompaying Ryu Hayabusa while he saved Kasumi from the Kasumi X clones. Although Momiji hasn't fought yet, she is shown to have the ability to examine a person's memories, as shown when she did this on Kasumi. Ryu and Momiji take Kasumi away, most likely to get her aid for her wounds. *It could be possible that like the other females in the series she could have romantic feelings for Ryu. *Momiji also appears as a non-playable guest character in Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce on the PS3 version. *On Team Ninja's Twitter, they posted a picture of Momiji with the Dead or Alive 5 tagline, implying that Momiji is a confirmed character in the game. It is unknown whether this is true or it's just a fanmade picture. * Momiji is set to appear in Koei/Tecmo's Musou Orochi 2 Hyper (Warrior's Orochi 3 Hyper for the Wii U. She is the fourth Ninja Gaiden character to appear in this edition, after Ryu Hayabusa, Ayane and Rachel. Gallery 03.jpg|Momiji assists her master, Ryu. 01.jpg|Ninja Gaiden 3 Render Momiji.jpg|Momiji from Ninja Gaiden Sigma II Horrifyed momiji.jpg|Momiji looks on in horror as Ryu loses to Ishtaros. Ryu and Momiji.jpg|Ryu and Momiji concept art Category:Ninja Gaiden III Characters Category:Characters Category:Ninja Gaiden II Characters